The Best Recipes of 2020

I am happy to announce that the top recipe for 2020 on my blog was one of Hannah Freese, RD's recipe that I make over and over again, Pumpkin Bean Chili.  Apparently, other people liked it, as well, because it was the #1 most popular recipe on my blog for 2020.   I make this recipe a couple times per month.  I would say that this recipe has taken the place of spaghetti in our house.  We use to eat spaghetti pretty often and it would always be a staple dinner.  Now, it's the pumpkin chili.  Of course, it's been chili-type weather since I started Hannah's method of eating in September.  But interestingly, this is the most recent of the top three popular recipes, yet it got the most hits.  I don't eat pasta anymore and I cook my own pinto beans when I make this recipe.  Pinto beans cook fast so I can start them in the morning and they are ready to add to the chili by dinnertime.  But of course, you can use canned pinto beans, too.  I keep cans of pumpkin and an extra bag of pinto beans in our pantry and we always have frozen ground beef in the freezer so I can make this recipe anytime I feel like it, which is often.  You can also top it with sour cream and grated cheese if you are extra hungry.  Bruce always has crackers with his or it would also be good with cornbread.  Eating Hannah's method,  I am avoiding the "Dirty 6 oils" that are sunflower oil, canola oil, safflower oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, soybean oils.  So basically, I only eat olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil and butter.  I also avoid added sugars except an occasional dark chocolate which is O.K.  There is a lot more to the diet but just those two things make a HUGE difference in how I feel.  It is basically my anti-inflammatory diet.  I've been searching for an anti-inflammatory diet for years and believe me, it goes way beyond just not eating nightshades - which actually aren't even inflammatory.  Since my total knee replacement in 2019, I can really tell when my joints are inflamed and eliminating inflammatory foods make all the difference.  With less inflammation, I've also noticed how much more energy I have.  I put away all the Christmas decorations in one day, whereas in the past, I'd get too tired and Bruce would take over and do it.  This year, Bruce was so surprised when he saw all the boxes packed up and ready to put in the attic!  And I wasn't even tired! We have approximately 15 boxes of Christmas decorations, not counting the Christmas tree. Here are some ready to put in the attic...

Here is an old photo of the chaos of putting away the Christmas decorations.  Every room in our house is decorated so, yes, it is chaos.  Our cats always loved it.

It is always a big job but not this year because I was full of energy.  I am so glad that one of Hannah's recipes got my #1 most popular spot.  It is so much more than a weight loss diet to me.  It is now my way-of-life diet.  Thank you so much, Hannah Freese, RD!  Now for the #2 spot and back to my inflammatory foods...cookies!  To be perfectly honest, desserts often make into my Top 3.  People love desserts, let's face it!  And I do, too.  I do eat them, just not as much as I use to and certainly not everyday, like I use to.  These Double Tree Signature Cookies were very popular when I posted them.  

This is when we were in lockdown after the coronavirus first hit and companies started posting their "secret" recipes, like the Ikea Swedish Meatballs that soon followed.  Lots of people were cooking and baking then.  And who can resist a good chocolate chip cookie, I mean really?  Which brings us to the #3 most popular blog post for 2020, Chocolate Cake in a Mug.  Are you surprised?  Not me.  One of the best desserts, yet.  And so simple to make, the best part.  This recipe was genius, really.  

Again, I posted this right after lockdown and people really needed a quick and easy chocolate-fix.  This was certainly the answer.  It's interesting to think about how the pandemic affected our eating habits and our urges for chocolate and sweets.  We all needed that dopamine feel-good stimulation for our bodies.  I truly get it.  Let's hope 2021 won't be so anxiety-driven.  I do feel optimistic about the future even though I know it will be months until we get our vaccine.  At least the light is at the end of the tunnel now.  When I think about this time two years ago, I had two joint replacement surgeries ahead of me and that was hard to think about (2019 was my "Year of Reconstruction").  My hip replacement was in February 2019 and then my knee in August 2019.  One year ago today, I was still rehabilitating from my knee replacement and still on pain relievers, anti-inflammatory drugs, going to PT, etc. (2020 was my "Year of Restoration").   I knew that 2020 would be a year of continued rehab which, again, was hard to think about.  When the pandemic hit, I basically wasn't doing much anyway because of my knee rehab and it actually gave me more time to focus on it.  I have now switched from rehab to Pilates for physical exercise.  I follow Hannah's method of eating so between those two changes, I plan to have a Year of Reformation!  Because of all the devastation that occurred in 2020, it's forced us to change our priorities and focus on what is important in life.  Looking ahead to 2021, I am going to try to enjoy every minute of it.  No surgeries, no physical pain, no inflammation.  I survived 2019 and then 2020.  I can honestly say for me in 2021, I finally have a year I can look forward to and I am going to enjoy my Year of Reformation.